The Muggle Next Door
by Symphony17
Summary: What if, as a young child, Draco had befriended the young Muggle girl who lived beyond the edge of his family's  property? What if she turned out to be a witch? What if she came to Hogwarts in her 6th year? Would it change anything? I guess we'll see...
1. Chapter 1

_****__Preliminary author's note: Hello, everyone, and thank you for reading! Before we begin, I would just like to note that I wrote this some time ago, so it's not quite up to my usual standards, but I thought I might as well get some feedback on it to see if it was worth going over it one more time. That being said, some constructive criticism would be lovely, and if any of you lovely people would like to beta-read this, it would be much appreciated! Enjoy!  
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><p><em><strong>Book One<strong>_

_**Prologue**_

The six-year-old boy ran across the marble floors of the main floor, nearly colliding with a heavy oak display case in the hall. Seeing a door opening in front of him, he skidded to a stop, almost falling over. The man exiting the room looked disdainfully down his nose at the child. "Draco, how many times must you be told? No running!" he snapped.

Draco looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry."

Turning, Lucius Malfoy called over his shoulder, "Go play in the backyard. But don't get dirty!"

Hunching his shoulders, Draco slinked out to the large yard, making a circuit around the edge, hugging the tall bushes that bordered it. About half-way around, he stopped. He thought that he could hear something. Looking around, he heard it again, coming from beyond the bushes. Through a gap in the branches, Draco could see to the yard of the house behind his. Sneaking a look back at the doors and windows of his house, he carefully pushed through the bushes.

Once he got past the bush, Draco was surprised to see a swing set. The source of the strange noise he had heard revealed itself to be the creak of a swing going back and forth, carrying the little girl on it higher and higher. Spotting him, the girl hopped off the swing and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Where did you come from?" she asked curiously.

"I- I live in the house next door," Draco stammered in reply. The girl smiled, hesitantly at first.

"I thought I was the only kid in the whole town!" Her smile widened as she added conspiratorially, "I am glad I'm not." She turned and went back to the swing. "Come play!" she called over her shoulder. Draco hesitantly went over to the second swing and stood next to it. The girl giggled. "It doesn't bite!" Draco scowled half-heartedly and started swinging. They went back and forth a few times before she finally burst out "I'm Ariana. What's your name?"

"I'm…" Draco paused, steeling himself for the laughter at his ridiculous name. "I'm Draco," he finished quietly.

"That's nice."

Draco looked at Ariana in shock.

"Draco's a 'dragon,' right? I love dragons." Ariana stopped swinging and looked at him seriously. "I saw a dragon once. It was flying over the forest a long way away. I was camping with Mum and Uncle Bill." Suddenly she switched topics. "How old are you?"

"Six," Draco replied, pushing off the ground to gain height again. Ariana gave him another dazzling smile.

"Me too! I'm almost seven." Just then, a female voice called out from an open window.

"Ariana! Time to come in now!"

Ariana got off the swing quickly. Before going into the house, she turned back to Draco. "Come back tomorrow!" she called. With that, she ran back inside and left Draco to make his way slowly back through the bushes to his house.

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><p><span>Two years later…<span>

Draco pushed through the bushes, noting how much more difficult it had gotten as he grew. As soon as he was through, he grinned at Ariana and shouted, "Happy birthday!" Ariana winced and then resumed her sulky expression. Draco stopped in surprise. "What's wrong?"

Ariana stomped around the swing set, green eyes flashing, russet ponytail swinging. "Mum got me they worst dress I've ever seen!" She stopped walking and stared exasperatedly at Draco. "It's pink! With ruffles!" She spit the words out like they were poison.

Draco nodded wisely. He had known of her hatred for the color pink for one and a half years, ever since he had arrived at her house and seen her sitting on the ground, scowling as she rubbed dirt on her matching pink shirt and skirt. Her hair was in a bun, pinned with a pink ribbon, which she then ripped out of her hair.

Draco returned to the present in time to hear Ariana finish complaining about her party dress. She took a big breath and stomped back to the swing and sat down, staring moodily ahead. Draco cleared his throat. "I got you something. And it's not pink." Ariana smiled a little at that, her expression softening.

"I told you, you don't have to get me a present."

Draco shook his head. "I wanted to get you something. You're my best friend."

Ariana smiled and relented. "Ok, fine. What'd you get me?"

Draco grinned and held out his hand. He dropped his present into Ariana's outstretched hand and waited. Ariana stared at the glittering metal in her hand. "Silver?" she asked incredulously.

Draco shook his head and clarified, "Platinum." Ariana's eyes widened until it seemed they would fall out of her head. Draco took his present from her palm and fastened it around her right wrist, the emeralds set in the precious metal links echoing the deep green in her eyes. Ariana looked at it for a moment and then threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered. "It's beautiful."

The pair played until it got dark, and then Ariana's mother called her in. Ariana jingled her bracelet at Draco and smiled before bouncing inside the house.

Draco waited two days before going back to Ariana's, as his parents had insisted that he go with them to dinner at some completely boring place with absolutely nobody to talk to. When he finally had time to slip away, he ran out to the yard and pushed through the brushes, completely unprepared for the sight waiting for him on the other side. Ariana sat on the ladder up to the treehouse portion of the playset, bracelet gleaming around her wrist, tears glistening on her cheeks.

When she caught sight of Draco, she jumped down from her perch and walked over to him, wiping her nose with a tissue. "What's wrong?" Draco asked urgently. "Is your mum sick?"

Ariana shook her head and burst out, "We're moving!"

Draco stared incredulously. "What?"

"We're moving," Ariana repeated.

After a second of dumb silence, Draco gathered his thoughts and asked quietly, "Where?"

"France!" Ariana sobbed out, fresh tears making their way down her face.

"When?"

Ariana shrugged. "A few days. Mum kept it secret for a 'birthday surprise.'" She kicked at a stone and sat down on the ground, leaning against a wooden support for the playset. Draco sat down next to her and hugged her.

"It'll be okay," he tried.

Ariana wiped her eyes and sniffed, shaking her head. "I don't wanna go."

Confused and at a loss for words, Draco just whispered soothingly, "I know."

After a few minutes of silent comfort, Ariana sniffed again and stood up waveringly.

"I should go." She pronounced it like a death sentence. "Mum said I needed to gather things to pack."

Draco nodded and stood up as well. "Ok. I'll see you later." He waited until she had disappeared inside the house before making his way back through the bushes.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter One**_

_Nine Years After…_

Draco sat brooding in the carriage, watching Hogwarts loom closer and closer. He made no conversation with Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, or Goyle as the carriage clattered its way up the hill to the castle. Unbidden, the memory of the last time he'd seen Ariana popped into his head.

_Draco watched, hidden, from the bushes as Ariana's tall blonde mother pulled her towards the packed car. "No!" Ariana yelled, trying to pull away. "I have to say good-bye…"_

_"Stop it!" her mother cut her off. "That's enough about 'Draco.' The house behind us is empty, Draco doesn't exist, except possibly in your head, and we are already ten minutes late for our flight! Now get. In. The. Car."_

_As the car pulled out of the drive and began driving away. Draco rushed out of the bushes and watched from the edge of the road as Ariana twisted in her seat to wave goodbye. The sunlight reflected off her bracelet and the tears sliding down her cheek as she waved and mouthed 'good-bye.'_

Draco was startled out of his thoughts by their arrival at the school gates. The small party passed quickly through inspection and fought the crowds to reach the Great Hall where dinner awaited. Once the school body was seated, Professor McGonagall brought the battered old Sorting Hat. The sorting went fairly quickly, taking only just under 25 minutes. Once it was over and Slytherin had gained 11 new students, Professor Dumbledore stood up, which was no great surprise for Draco, merely a burden, as it meant he had to wait a few more minutes for the delectable supper that his stomach was aching for. What was a surprise was the substance of the headmaster's speech.

"Good evening!" he announced. "For our old students, welcome back! To our new first-years, welcome! I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits." He passed through the normal precautions, warnings, and prohibitions, finally coming to an end with: "And finally… I am pleased to announce that, in addition to our first years, we also have an exchange student. From Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Miss Ariana Rivers will be joining us for her sixth and seventh years of study."

Draco lifted his head from his hands and watched dumbly as a girl walked up to the Hat. She was tall and fair, with long russet hair tumbling past her shoulders nearly to her waist. A thin silver bracelet set with small green stones shone around her right wrist, its simplicity belying its expensive origins. She climbed the few steps to the main platform and waited as the Hat was lowered onto her head.

was the mantra running through Draco's head as he glanced around the Hall, noting the stares from all four tables that ranged from appreciative to curious.

After what seemed like forever, the Hat seemed to make up its mind. Its brim tore and it loudly proclaimed, "Slytherin!"

Draco let out his held breath and clapped heartily with the rest of the table, leaving the other three houses to wonder what could possibly be in that girl's head that put her in Slytherin. Ariana smiled and made her way across the Hall to the Slytherin, coming within a few yards of Draco. The house prefect nearest her stood and shook her hand, welcoming her to the school and to the house. Ariana smiled warmly and thanked him for his kind welcome. Draco tried in vain to get her attention, but she was consumed by a crowd of boys and girls who wanted to hear her speak French and describe the boys in France. When dinner was over, he tried to push through the crowd of students leaving the Hall, but by the time he had reached the place where she had been sitting, she was gone.

After an eventful after-dinner experience of dodging Potter's gang, Draco finally reached the common room and gave the new password, "Aeternus." He entered the large room and looked around hopefully for Ariana. All he could see were girls prattling about boys and boys boasting about quidditch. After waiting some time, he sadly made his way up to his bedroom.

_He chased Ariana around the castle, always a few feet behind, turning corners and seeing flashes of red hair disappear around them. He turned again and faced a dead end. Behind him, a bloodcurdling scream sounded and he whirled around. Ariana stood with fear-filled eyes, clutching her throat and choking. The Dark Lord's wand pointed unwaveringly at her, his mouth opening to speak another spell._

_"Ariana! No!" Draco screamed, but it was too late. A jet of green light burst from the tip of Voldemort's wand and hit Ariana, throwing her back against the stone wall, her head connecting with a sickening crack. She slid limply to the floor, her empty green eyes staring up at Draco._

Draco woke with a muffled shout, sweaty and shaking. He kicked his clinging bedsheets away and wiped his face. With a sudden thought, he reached under his bed and pulled out a pad of paper and a Muggle pencil. He hadn't drawn much in years, but still remembered when he had revealed his secret hobby to Ariana… Smiling reminiscently, he put the pencil to paper.

He sketched Ariana's face, filling her eyes with as much life as he could give them on paper. Her lips curved up in a brilliant smile, her hair tossing gently in a light breeze. With a sudden thought, he picked up his wand and used simple coloring spells to flood the picture with all the color of the real Ariana.

Finished, he leaned back and surveyed his work. To the casual observer, the face in front of him looked exactly like the girl who had been sorted into Slytherin earlier that night. Draco, however, could see the flaws. The hair wasn't quite the right shade, her smile was a bit too wide, but it would do. He took his wand again and muttered a quick spell to make the paper impervious to water, dirt, and rips. Finally, he tucked in the front of a hard cover portfolio where other drawings of his, mostly old, rested. His mind eased, he lay back down on his bed, sleeping the next few hours without dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Two**_

The next morning, Draco awoke with the sun in his eyes. His roommates were just stirring, so he took his chance and grabbed his clothes, heading into the bathroom before anyone else was alert enough to contest his claim on the room.

About ten minutes later, he walked quickly down the stairs, taking two at a time. He emerged into a humming common room, his hair still wet. He scanned the room for Ariana, but didn't see her. Maybe she's already at breakfast, he thought, so he left the common room and went up to the Great Hall, looking up and down the Slytherin table. Suddenly, he caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye near the Ravenclaw table. An involuntary sneer crossed his lips. She was talking to "Loony" Lovegood and the mudblood, Granger.

He waited a few seconds, debating over what to do, but Ariana turned and started walking towards her house's table. Draco pushed through a knot of third years, ignoring Pansy Parkinson, who tried to grab his arm, and was nearing Ariana's seat when Blaise Zabini slid into the last seat next to her, forcing Draco to sit several benches down.

Dumbledore stood, which was unusual for breakfast, and turned towards the Slytherin table. "I am afraid I must impose upon one of our sixth-year Slytherins. I would like one of you to please show Miss Rivers around the school until she can find her own way."

Draco's eyes lit up. Here was his chance! As he stood up from his seat, Blaise rose quickly and called, "I'll do it, Professor."

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles. "Thank you, Mr. Zabini. I believe you and Miss Rivers share all your classes, which will make things most convenient." He turned and sat back down, tucking into what looked like a mushroom and onion omelet. Blaise smiled charmingly at Ariana who gave a friendly smile back.

After breakfast was cleared, Blaise helped Ariana up and walked her out of the hall. With a hasty excuse to Pansy, Draco ran out after them, just in time to see the two turn towards the Slytherin common room. He ran to catch up and called out, "Ariana!"

At the sound of her name, Ariana turned, green eyes searching. When she caught sight of Draco moving towards her, her tired smile turned into an open-mouthed expression of wonder.

"Draco?" she asked disbelievingly. She ran to meet him and grabbed him in a hug, almost knocking both of them down. Laughing, Ariana let go and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"I don't believe it! I was just thinking about you on the ride here!" Draco exclaimed.

Ariana's grin grew. "Me, too!"

With a grin that rivaled Ariana's, Draco walked with her down to the common room, talking and laughing, leaving a scowling Blaise to follow in their wake.

Once in the common room, Draco and Ariana sat down on one of the sofas to chat and catch up as best they could during the thirty minute break between breakfast and their first class. "Why did you leave" was the first thing out of Draco's mouth.

Ariana smiled ruefully. "Mum's job. Money got a bit tight, so she accepted a position that required her onsite in France. Then, when I turned 11, I got an owl from Beauxbatons and started school there. I think it was quite a shock to Mum. She let me go, but she made me go to a Muggle summer school during the breaks.

Draco snorted.

"What?" Ariana said. "There are some very interesting things to learn in Muggle schools."

A thought came to Draco, and he blurted out, "Why didn't you come for the Tri-Wizard Tournament two years ago?"

Ariana laughed, a bit sheepish. "Oh. Well, for a start, it was mostly only the girls who were old enough to compete who traveled here. Also, I got sick the day before they left. And, Draco, you've got to remember, I didn't know what had happened to you. I didn't know that you went to school here or even that you were a wizard."

"So why did you come now?" Draco asked.

Ariana merely shrugged, but her face showed pain. "Mum died three years ago in a train accident, so I did what I could with the money she left me, but I'm not a legal adult, Wizarding or Muggle. Anyway, I had to stay in a boarding school orphanage thing whenever I wasn't at school. It wasn't a very nice place, so I stayed at Beauxbatons as much as possible, but the head of the orphanage started asking some inconvenient questions, so Madame Maxime had to have a few words with the woman." She looked at Draco significantly.

Draco gave a small smile and then said quietly, "I'm sorry about your mum."

"Thanks," Ariana replied. "It's all right though. If she hadn't, I might never have come here. Madame Maxime was the one who suggested I try an exchange program. I chose Hogwarts because… well, I think I held out a hope that you might still be next to my old house. I had been planning to go up there on a weekend."

"Well, we still live there," Draco informed her. "We'll probably be there forever; it's a family property. But…"

Blaise Zabini cut him off with a quickly uttered "It's time for Charms now. Come on, Ariana."

Ariana shot Blaise a look of barely disguised frustration and curtly replied, "Yes, thank you for reminding me. Come on, Draco, you can walk with us." Now Blaise shot her a dirty look. Draco just smiled and grabbed his bag. Blaise offered to carry Ariana's, but she refused.

The group reached the Charms classroom quickly and sat down as the diminutive Professor Flitwick called roll. When he had finished, he addressed Ariana and welcomed her to the school, hoping that she would like it there.

"Thank you, Professor," Ariana replied. "What I've seen of the school so far is wonderful." She shot a secret smile across to Draco who grinned back and gave her a thumbs-up.

The class went smoothly and quickly and the trio was soon on their way to Transfiguration. They sat down with several minutes to spare, but Ariana received from Professor McGonagall, not only a welcome, but a warning. "I'll let you know now, Miss Rivers," she said, "that I do not practice favoritism. I reward good, hard work."

Ariana nodded. "I understand, Professor. The teachers at Beauxbatons were the same way."

"Good," the sharp teacher replied and began the lesson. About halfway through, Ariana proved herself one of the best students in the class when she was one of five students out of twenty five who managed to properly change a guinea pig into a handbag and back. While not able to perform the spell himself, Draco noticed satisfactorily that Blaise had also been unable to do it.

After receiving the usual homework (practice!), Draco, Blaise, and Ariana moved on to their other classes. It was much the same process in every class, until they got to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape was particularly proud of having such an advanced exchange student in his house, so he made Ariana stand and introduce herself, putting into practice his usual five-points-to-every-Slytherin-who-answers-a-question-correctly. And Ariana got many questions correct.

By dinner, Blaise was fed up with Draco and Ariana and left them, instead pursuing a pretty fifth-year. The two friends ate dinner together and reminisced over times gone by, reminding each other of their various escapades. Returning to the common room, they stayed up later than they probably should have, only saying good-night at 12:30.

That night, Draco again had trouble sleeping, the dark thoughts that had faded during that day talking to Ariana coming back in full force He promised himself that he would start work the next day and lay down. When he finally slept, his dreams were filled with cabinets and black cloaks, pale faces and jets of green light.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Three**_

The next morning, Ariana woke up to the chatter of 16-year-old girls critiquing each other's outfits and makeup. She rolled her eyes, tugged on her school robes, pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, and ran, leaving the other girls to fuss over lipstick and mascara.

The little time Ariana had spent dressing didn't seem to deter the boys, who came up to her in droves, inviting her to sit with them during breakfast. Not all of them were Slytherins, and a number of them were quite a few years younger than she was. She finally managed to escape by telling everyone she had already eaten, and retreated to the library, a place she had been meaning to visit, but hadn't had time for the previous day.

Ariana walked up one aisle and down another, trailing her fingers along the dusty, worn spines of old books, breathing in the musty smell of thousands of volumes waiting to be read. She plucked a random book off the shelf and headed towards the nearest table and chairs. One of the chairs was already occupied by one of the girls Ariana had talked to the previous day, her nose buried in a thick book. Ariana cleared her throat and the girl looked up, her curly brown hair filled with particles of dust from wherever she had been.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Ariana asked politely. The girl shook her head and replied, "Not at all."

Ariana sat gratefully and opened her gratefully and opened her book.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who reads before breakfast," the girl said jokingly.

Ariana laughed and replied, "Not just before breakfast. Every spare second of every other time of day, too!"

The girl smiled and introduced herself as Hermione Granger and asked what Ariana was reading. Unsure herself, Ariana lifted the book from the table to display the cover. "Oh!" the girl exclaimed. "I loved Hogwarts: A History. It was quite interesting; I think you'll enjoy it. Plus, it's always a good idea to get a feel for the area where you live, don't you think?"

The two girls alternately read and chatted about books they had enjoyed until about five minutes before breakfast. Then the pair picked up their books, checked them out of the library (Ariana received an approving look from Madam Pince because she had used a bookmark instead of dog-earing a page), and walked up to the Great Hall. A few halls away from the library, however, there was an obstacle.

Two fifth-year Slytherins were pushing around a small second-year Hufflepuff. Before Hermione could impose the full power of her prefect's badge on the two older boys, Ariana dropped her bag on the floor and stormed toward them, pushing the bullies away from the third boy. With a rapid torrent of angry French and a few expressive hand gestures, she sent the Slytherins rapidly down the hall. Hermione rushed forward to help Ariana and the Hufflepuff pick up his books and put them in his newly-magically-repaired bag. With a muttered "thanks," the boy took his bag and continued down the hall.

"That was very nice of you, you know," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

Ariana looked over at her companion. "What?"

"Stopping those bullies and helping the boy. Most people would ignore it. Certainly all the Sly… Um…" She trailed off uncertainly.

Ariana nodded understandingly. "I get it. It's okay. There were girls like that at Beauxbatons."

Hermione smiled in relief and informed Ariana, "I'm not entirely sure you're in the right house. You don't seem like a Slytherin to me." Ariana smiled and replied mysteriously that "there were reasons."

The pair moved off down the hall again and Hermione made the observation that Ariana didn't "look very French." Ariana laughed and replied. "Oh, I'm not. My mum moved there because of her job. She was British, but I didn't know my dad."

Hermione bit her lip and apologized, but Ariana told her that it was all right. "I didn't know him, so I can't miss him."

By that time, the two girls had reached the Great Hall, so they separated and went to their respective house tables. As she approached the Slytherin table, Ariana looked for Draco. Not seeing him, she went over to one of the girls she had seen Draco with the previous day. She went over to the pug-faced girl and asked her if she knew where Draco was. In answer she received a curt "no idea" and a dirty look. Sighing, Ariana sat and ate breakfast.

Ariana did not see Draco for the rest of the day, in class or at meals. When she collapsed in the common room at the end of a long day, Ariana devoted her attention to a Potions paper on the various potion-making properties of crushed moonstones. When she had finished the rest of her homework, she took out Hogwarts: A History, and read late into the night. When the fire burned low, she closed the book and trudged up to bed.

Ariana woke up at sunrise, panting as if she had just finished a long run. She pulled her hair away from her sweaty face and leaned back against her pillow. "Just a dream," she sighed, and closed her eyes.

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><p><em>She had been in the Great Hall, but the house tables weren't there. Instead, small white tables ringed the edge of the room, leaving a large open space in the center. She looked down at herself and saw a long ballgown the exact shade of her eyes. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back in large loose curls. Catching sight of herself in a tall mirror, she gasped. Rhinestones dotted the skirt of the dress and emerald pins kept her hair out of her face. Soft music began playing behind her and she whirled around…<em>

_And she was dancing, spinning gracefully from one partner to another. Suddenly, she was in the arms of a slightly younger Draco who smiled sadly. "You can't help me. No one can." He pulled away from her, and she ran after him…_

_Into a maze. Great bushes towered on either side of her, leaving a slice of starry sky above and a narrow walkway to either side of her. Someone ran past her and she followed him, still in her gown. She entered a clearing with a pedestal in the center, a silver trophy sitting on top of it. Two boys reached toward the cup and all three disappeared…_

_And reappeared in a graveyard. A jet of green light hit the taller boy, who was thrown to the ground. A huge cauldron bubbled and seethed at the foot of a gravestone as a man rose out of it, a high cold voice hissing from his hooded face. Other figures, shadowy and indistinct, formed a ring around the man. One came forward and knelt before the center figure._

_"And will you succeed in the duty so many others have failed?"_

_The hood slipped off the kneeling figure's as Draco bowed his head, pale and shaking, and replied, "I will."_

_The black figure hissed and whispered, "Good."_

_A great noise sounded in Ariana's ears and drowned out the figure's next words._

_"Draco!" she cried. "Draco, no!" Ariana reached toward him, battling air that became thick and solid…_

… And woke up_._

Ariana got up and began her morning routine, taking her time with her shower. She dressed and went down to breakfast as the other girls began to wake up. She took a seat at the Slytherin table, flicking her damp hair to the side so she wouldn't sit on it. She kept an eye on the entrance and when Draco arrived, she got up to meet him. As she drew closer, she was surprised by how tired he looked.

"Didn't you get any sleep?" Ariana asked him worriedly.

Draco looked up at her and smiled wanly. "Not really. I had some… stuff to do." He then distracted her with a question about Transfiguration homework and didn't give her a chance to dig further into the events of the previous day.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: Hehehe... -sheepish grin- Sorry, everyone. I uploaded the wrong chapter before. I'm new to FF, so I got a little turned around while trying to get this up. Sorry! It should be fixed now and I'll do my best to put the right chapters up next time. :P_

_I would like to thank Keresa and lilirox187 for being my first ever reviewers! Thanks, guys, I'm glad you liked it!_

_Also, in case it's not obvious (and because I forgot before) I do not own Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy's gorgeousness. That's JKR's. -sigh- I'll let you guys know if that changes though. :D_

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

For the next three months, Draco's routine continued much the same way. Some days he was in class, but several days each week and every weekend, he would disappear, giving no explanation as to his activities. Finally, one day, after he had received a D in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall told him that he had a choice: stay after classes, join a remedial Transfiguration class, or find a tutor. Ariana stretched across the aisle of seats and poked him lightly with her wand, catching his eye meaningfully. He agreed to find a tutor.

And so the tutoring began. Every morning, breakfast found Ariana and Draco seated over their books, shoveling food in their mouths and quizzing each other on spells and laws. It went quite well, although Draco always looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Ariana turned a blind eye to it after he told her that there was nothing he could do about it, but always watched to see if she could see where he went. She never found out.

One day after Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Snape informed Ariana that Professor Dumbledore wanted to see her. Concerned, she thanked him and picked up her bag. He accompanied her to the statue of the phoenix, activated the staircase for her, and left. Ariana took a deep breath and started climbing the stairs. She reached the door and knocked carefully. "Enter," a voice called from inside.

Professor Dumbledore sat behind a dark wood desk, parchment and quills piled neatly in front of him, as well as several thick books. He looked up, his piercing blue eyes quickly taking in Ariana's nervousness and confusion.

"Oh, do sit down, Miss Rivers," he invited, motioning to a leather armchair in front of his desk. Ariana sat quickly and asked if she was in trouble.

"Oh, no!" the headmaster quickly reassured her. "You are, if I may say so, one of our more responsible students."

"No," he continued, leaning back. "No, I merely wanted to ask you a few questions."

Ariana relaxed in relief and replied, "Of course, professor."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of him and began to speak. "I hear you have been tutoring Mr. Malfoy."

Not expecting that, Ariana frowned and answered, "Well… yes."

"And how has he been doing in his studies?"

Ariana stopped to think for a second and gather her thoughts. "He's definitely been doing better. His grades have risen slightly, and his test grades definitely improved." She bit her lip and muttered, "When he bothers to show up."

Professor Dumbledore nodded gravely and tossed out another question. "Do you know where he goes during school hours?"

Ariana lowered her eyes and shook her head.

"Would you tell me if you did?"

Ariana fixed calculating eyes on the professor and slowly said, "Not if it didn't hurt anyone."

The headmaster nodded sadly. "But, you see, that is the key. I believe I should now explain a few things to you. I also have a favor to ask. Let me begin…"

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><p>Draco entered the Slytherin common room quietly late that night. As he was about to go up to his bedroom, a voice floated to him from a sofa near the fireplace.<p>

"It's almost three AM."

Startled, Draco spun around and approached the couch; Ariana sat there, arms clasped around one knee, staring into the dancing flames.

"If a teacher had seen, you'd be in lots of trouble." She shifted position to sit cross-legged and said, "Sit." Draco slowly lowered himself onto the sofa to sit next to Ariana. "I've been watching you," she continued. "Every night, you're out past midnight." She turned to look him in the eyes.

"You're not getting enough rest. That's why you fall asleep in the middle of class, if you bother to show up! I can't be everywhere to poke you awake again. What are you doing? Draco, you're my best friend. It hurts me to see you like this! Can't you stop? What is so important that you can't take a few hours to get a good night's sleep?"

Draco sighed waveringly and looked into Ariana's concerned eyes. "I can't stop. This is something I have to do."

Ariana took Draco's hand and said, "Then let me help. If you won't stop, let me share the work so you can rest." Seeing the refusal in his eyes, she added softly, "Please." The two sat for a second until Draco finally nodded. Ariana smiled, hesitantly at first, then genuinely. She stood up and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. She straightened and crossed her arms a little nervously. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Sleep in, and you can show me what you're working on after breakfast."

She turned to leave but stopped and said "Good night" before going up to bed. Draco sat a few more minutes in front of the fire before going to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ariana woke up around 8:30. Instead of going down to breakfast immediately, she took a piece of parchment down to the common room. She unrolled it and took a stub of pencil out of her pocket. One by one, she began to sketch the people around her. When she had exhausted the candidates in the common room, she drew from memory. First she drew her mother, then herself in the green ballgown from her dream. Finally, she drew Draco. As she put the final touches on the simple black-and-white sketch, a voice came from behind her. "That's very good."<p>

Ariana turned in her seat and, when she saw that it was the very person she had just finished drawing, blushed. Draco reached toward her drawing. "May I?" Ariana nodded and handed the sheet to him.

Draco looked at each one and finally said, "I didn't know you drew. When did you start?"

Ariana smiled wistfully at the memory. "When we moved, I doodled in the car. Mom saw them and decided to sign me up for lessons. There was an art teacher across the street who agreed to teach me. It was hard at first, because her English wasn't very good, and my French wasn't very good. But we ended up helping each other!"

Draco handed the pictures back to her and she put them away in her room. When she returned, the two went down to breakfast.

Draco did what he could to prolong breakfast, even going so far as to purposefully (Ariana thought) spill pumpkin juice on his robes so that he had to go back to his room to change. However, finally, he led Ariana up to the seventh floor where he hesitated. Ariana put her hand on his arm. "What is it?" she asked worriedly.

Draco took her hands and reluctantly said, "Close your eyes."

Ariana's brow furrowed. "What?"

Draco squeezed her hands. "Trust me," he whispered.

Ariana sighed and closed her eyes. Draco led her in a somewhat roundabout way to his final destination, never letting go of her hand. When he finally let Ariana open her eyes, the two were in a large room filled with piles of junk. Directly in front of them was a large object covered by a white sheet. Draco stepped forward and tugged on a corner of the sheet, which billowed and floated down to the ground. Ariana moved closer and ran her fingers over the intricately carved panels. She turned to Draco, curiosity and confusion in her eyes.

"It's a Vanishing Cabinet," he informed her. "I have to fix it."

"Oh," Ariana said lightly. Her eyes darkened. "Can you tell me why?" Draco shook his head sadly. Ariana drew closer to Draco and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, Draco," she said softly. She stood like that a few seconds and then, suddenly all business, asked, "All right. Do you know what's wrong with it?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

Draco and Ariana worked on the cabinet for weeks, taking it in shifts. Every night they switched off working until near dawn. On the weekends, both would spend all day cooped up in the junk-filled room, barely even bothering to eat. Their grades reflected the new arrangement: Ariana's falling from Outstanding to Acceptable and even the occasional Poor, while Draco's steadily rose from Dreadful to Acceptable. Both were tired nearly all the time, but managed not to fall asleep in the middle of class.

About a month and a half after Ariana began helping Draco, the two friends were in the Room of Requirement again. Ariana blew dust off a chair and sat down with a thump.

"I don't understand," she cried out exasperatedly. "I've tried everything I know. It should be working right now!"

Draco pulled a chair next to Ariana and sat down, staring moodily at the dark wood of the Cabinet. Suddenly, Ariana jumped up. "I've got it!"

"Wait here!" she called as she ran out of the room. "I'll be right back."

Ariana ran down the halls, finally slowing near Professor Flitwick's office. She gave herself a minute to catch her breath and compose herself, and then she knocked on the door to the tiny professor's office.

"Enter!" his voice called from within the room.

Ariana opened the door and walked up to the Charms professor's desk.

"Ah, Miss Rivers," he greeted her. "What can I do for you?"

Ariana pulled a slip of parchment she had prepared from her pocket. "Er, Professor, I was thinking about what you were saying the other day about fixing magical objects and how tricky it can be. I wanted to look up some more on the subject, but the book I want to get is in the Restricted section. I was wondering if you'd be willing to sign a permission slip for me to take it out?"

The unsuspecting wizard nodded cheerfully and replied, "Of course," taking the slip from her hand and signing it with a flourish. "Hmm…" he said as he returned the slip and read the title out loud. "Magical Objects from A to Z: When _Reparo!_ Just Isn't Enough."

Ariana took the slip from his hand as he continued, "An excellent choice, Miss Rivers, but do be careful," he warned her. "Some of the magical objects in this book are better left alone." Ariana nodded, trying to keep guilt from her face , and left the office.

She then ran down to the library and was immediately accosted by Madam Pince for running in the halls. She took a breath, apologized profusely, and meekly requested her book. Madam Pince took the slip of paper from Ariana's outstretched hand and looked at it closely. Finally, she grunted approval and walked away to the Restricted section. A minute later, she was back, blowing dust off a heavy book. She handed it to Ariana and reminded her to be gentle with it and to return it on time.

Ariana then ran back to the seventh floor, searching the walls until she found the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching ballet to trolls. She always giggled at that tapestry, but moved to the stretch of wall just beyond it and walked back and forth three times. _I need to get to Draco and the Cabinet, I need to get to Draco and the Cabinet, I need to get to Draco and the Cabinet, _she thought as she walked back and forth. On her final pass, a door appeared in the wall and she yanked it open and went in.

As she entered the quiet room, Draco stood up. "All right, now what were you doing?" he asked quickly.

Ariana sighed. "I _was _about to explain, you know."

Draco's lips twitched and he rolled his eyes, but gestured for her to go on.

"First, I went to Professor Flitwick to get permission to take a book from the Restricted section." She dropped the heavy volume on a highly convenient table. "Then I went to the library to get it." She flipped it open and turned to the Table of Contents. Draco stood next to her and leaned over the book.

"Why was this restricted?" he asked, running a finger down a list of objects covered in the book.

Ariana gestured to the bottom of the list. "Not all magical objects are benevolent."

Draco looked uncomfortable, but was silent as Ariana flipped through the pages to the section on Vanishing Cabinets. Ariana glanced down at the opening page and groaned. "I don't believe this! There are 17 pages of spells just to figure out what's wrong with it!"

Draco grabbed his wand and smiled. "Well, I guess we'd better get started then, shouldn't we?"

Ariana smiled and said sarcastically, "Whoopee." She took her wand from her pocket, and both looked down at the first page of spells.

* * *

><p>A week later, Ariana burst into the Room of Requirement, startling Draco who was bending over the book again. Seeing her, Draco smiled. "Where's the fire?" he joked. Ariana merely looked determined.<p>

"Ha, ha," she replied flatly. She slammed the book shut, put it in her bag, and pulled Draco towards the door. Draco pulled his arm away and said, "Ariana, what's going on? Are you all right?"

Ariana folded her arms. "I am," she replied shortly. "But you're not. Ever since I got that book from the library, you've been working too hard." When he opened his mouth to interrupt, Ariana held up a finger to stop him. "No. You will come with me, and you will relax. If you don't, I'll spell the door so you can't get in here!"

"But…" Draco began, but Ariana stepped forward and put a finger on his lips. "No." she repeated. "No more excuses. God forbid you get a decent night's sleep or a good meal! You've been skipping classes again, Draco! You _promised_ you wouldn't do that anymore. The teachers will notice – hell, they already have! – and they will _expel_ you."

Her expression softened. "Draco, I just found you. I can't lose you again." She blinked and ducked her head. When she looked back up she said, "Draco, I'm worried about you. You haven't been eating and you get barely enough sleep to live. You're going to make yourself sick!" She took his hand again, but didn't move. "Come on, Draco. One hour of something other than this, and at _least_ three full hours of sleep."

Ariana smiled softly. "I'm going easy on you, you know," she said quietly. "I could force you to sleep _ten_ hours. Please."

Draco heard the genuine worry in her voice, and the pleading in her eyes made him give in. "Fine," he muttered.

Ariana hugged him and whispered, "Thank you." She took his hand and led him out of the junk-filled room. He didn't look back.


End file.
